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Kumamoto Historic Castle Town

Kumamoto, Japan

Kumamoto Castle Town, known also as Shinmachi-Furumachi, dates back over 400 years to the well-known Kumamoto Castle’s construction. In 1877, during the last civil war in Japan, most of the town’s Edo period structures were destroyed by fire. Several of the remaining historic structures and features of the townscape were preserved. In the wake of the destruction, the rebuilding efforts at the end of the nineteenth century led to the inclusion of traditional wooden townhouses called machiya and new buildings, which today are part of the essential character of the town.

In April 2016, about 350 historic buildings essential to the town’s historic streetscape sustained earthquake damage. Some were demolished in the aftermath of the disaster, leaving many of the approximately 300 structures that remained at great risk of demolition. WMF initially joined ICOMOS Japan in an on-site field study in May 2016 to understand priorities and conservation needs, and began to support restoration efforts on site.

Restoration of an historic Castle Townscape and revitalization of the community

In the summer of 2017, with support from The Freeman Foundation, World Monuments Fund in partnership with Kumamoto Machinami Trust (KMT) launched support for local community efforts in Kumamoto Castle Town, Japan, to restore several iconic structures damaged by the Kumamoto earthquake. This partnership with KMT will serve as a model for our work to support communities whose treasured heritage assets are devastated by natural disaster.

The restoration of these endangered historic buildings not only restores cultural heritage and preserves the historic nature of the castle townscape, but also helps to rebuild sense of place for the community. The restoration of five key structures that preserve the character of the castle town will be completed in March 2019.